# AI project cost and return worksheet

By Stolen Orbit — revised 24 September 2026.
Guide: https://stolenorbit.com/en/resources/ai-implementation-costs/

A planning template to fill in. The example inputs are INVENTED: they are not market prices, a quote or client results. Recovered capacity value is not automatically cash saved.

## Inputs: complete three scenarios

| Variable                                                                  | Conservative | Central | Favourable | Source / uncertainty |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | ------- | ---------- | -------------------- |
| N — cases per month                                                       |              |         |            |                      |
| C — proportion covered (0 to 1)                                           |              |         |            |                      |
| T — working minutes before, per covered case                              |              |         |            |                      |
| V — review minutes after, per covered case                                |              |         |            |                      |
| E — proportion of covered cases requiring extra correction (0–1)          |              |         |            |                      |
| R — minutes for that correction                                           |              |         |            |                      |
| H — fully loaded hourly cost                                              |              |         |            |                      |
| S — additional monthly software and licences                              |              |         |            |                      |
| U — monthly usage, retrieval, storage and infrastructure                  |              |         |            |                      |
| M — monthly monitoring, support and maintenance (including internal work) |              |         |            |                      |
| L — additional monthly consequential error losses, if relevant            |              |         |            |                      |
| I — total initial investment                                              |              |         |            |                      |
| P — actual months of use in the assessment period                         |              |         |            |                      |

Include assessment, data work, development/configuration, integrations, tests, internal effort, training, introduction and transition in I. Check exit and migration costs too. Document excluded costs and why; add them where relevant.

## Formulas

- Covered cases = N × C.
- Net recovered hours = N × C × (T − V − E × R) ÷ 60.
- Monthly capacity value = net recovered hours × H.
- Additional recurring costs = S + U + M + L.
- Estimated net monthly benefit = capacity value − recurring costs.
- Investment recovery in steady-state months = I ÷ net benefit, ONLY if benefit is positive.
- Simplified ROI on capacity value = (net monthly benefit × P − I) ÷ I, ONLY if I is positive.

If V already includes all correction work, do not subtract E × R. If M includes valued monitoring hours, do not also subtract those hours from recovered time. Uncovered cases continue using the current method. Zero or negative benefit has no finite payback period in this model.

## Completed illustrative example

- N = 1,000; C = 0.80; T = 8; V = 3; E = 0.10; R = 5; H = €30.
- S = €100; U = €80; M = €120; L = €0 in the simplified example, to be estimated where relevant.
- I = €7,000: €6,000 implementation and €1,000 internal work/introduction.
- Covered cases = 800; recovered hours = 60.
- Capacity value = €1,800/month; recurring costs = €300/month.
- Estimated net monthly benefit = €1,500.
- Recovery = roughly 4.7 months at steady state.
- At P = 12 actual months of use, simplified ROI = (18,000 − 7,000) ÷ 7,000 ≈ 157.1% on hypothetical capacity value, not cash.
- If V rises from 3 to 5 minutes: recovered hours ≈ 33.3; net benefit = €700/month; recovery = 10 months.

The model excludes taxes, cost of capital and introduction delays. It does not include hypothetical additional revenue. Assess those separately with the relevant specialists if needed. Do not count the same benefit or cost twice.

## Before deciding

- Pilot observations and sample used:
- Differences from the current method:
- Excluded cases and unquantified risks:
- How recovered capacity will be used:
- Which part can create real cash savings, and why:
- Conservative scenario and conditions that would make the project unsustainable:
- Decision and owner: expand / revise / stop.

Discuss the project: https://stolenorbit.com/en/contact/